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2013 NHL Trade Deadline Preview: Anaheim Ducks

March 31, 2013
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The 2013 Trade Deadline is oh so close. As we are now under a week away from the trade deadline, as such I will continue what’s been a fun series of informative previews leading up to the most entertaining day in hockey nerd television. As I’ve said in past articles, it’s becoming increasingly obvious who will make the playoffs or who won’t. Who will be sellers and buyers, and who won’t.

With this knowledge of who’s likely to be in and who isn’t the wheeling and dealing has started to pick up. Big names that were once franchise faces in Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla have already been dealt, as have some quality blueliners like Douglas Murray and Jordan Leopold. If these kinds of players are going - Douglas Murray aside - for as little as they are, I have to believe there are more moves on the way. Leading up to April 3rd expect a flurry of previews for this deadline arms race.

This preview is going to be about the resurgent Anaheim Ducks. To say they have overachieved is somewhat of an understatement. Bruce Boudreau has this team buying into his system, and you can’t argue with the results. They are currently only three points behind the record setting (and thunder stealing) Chicago Blackhawks, which puts them right up there in contention for the Western Conference lead. Hell, if you’re really ambitious you could even throw them into the Presidents’ Trophy hunt. I’m pretty sure this means they’ll be adding pieces at the deadline, especially after locking up Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf for the foreseeable future with two of the more absurd contracts in league history.

For the first time in what feels like ages, or since their last Stanley Cup, the Ducks are rolling four lines. To great success clearly. That being said, I think a lot of players in their top nine are playing a little better than they should be. This roster could certainly use a little tweaking to gear up for a long playoff run. Especially where center is concerned. I’m not sure you can rely on either Saku Koivu or Andrew Cogliano to anchor an effective second line in the playoffs. Could be wrong, but they seem more like ideal third line guys. All that being said, read on for a list of player’s I think the Ducks would love to add to their roster.

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Derek Roy: For as long as Roy’s been on the market, the Ducks have been rumoured to have interest. For good reason too. As far as second line centers go, Roy is pretty darn good. He is also a UFA after this season on a team that isn’t all that likely to make the playoffs. It seems kind of obvious at this point that Roy is on his way out of Dallas. If he is available, expect the Ducks to make a serious push to land him.

Mike Ribeiro: If they lose out on the Derek Roy sweepstakes, I could see the Ducks making a push for Ribeiro. Only problem is he currently leads the Capitals in scoring, and the price for him will likely be massive. Then again, a 35 point center centering a second line is about as good as it gets.

Ryan Whitney: As good as the Ducks defence corps is, it could be better. Whitney makes sense because of his great first pass, and the fact that he’s already played for Anaheim. He is also a UFA at season’s end, which means there is no long term commitment should be play as poorly in Anaheim as he has in Edmonton this season.

Ladislav Smid: Speaking of Oilers defenseman, and former members of the Ducks... Smid would be a great pickup for the Ducks, and would likely help with their 25th ranked penalty kill. The one area of concern with this Ducks defense is in the bottom pairing, where Smid would be a perfect fit.

You can follow J.D. Burke for more hockey commentary, stats, tweets, etc. @WeveGotTwins and find his blog at We've Got Twins